And it seems that science might be one of the answers as a collection of kids' reading that has endured the test of time and proven to be a success in Taiwan might be making its move on the Chinese mainland, impressing parents who are eager to find easier and more enjoyable ways for their children to absorb knowledge.

The Little Newton Science Museum (Xiaoniudun Bowuguan) collection was published by the Jiuzhou Publishing House in January under the authorization of its original publishing house, the Taiwan-based Newton Publishing Co Ltd.

Newton Publishing has been involved in popular science education since 1983 when it published Newton Magazine in Taiwan.

Later, it initiated the highly successful monthly Little Newton Magazine. During the past 20 years, 240 issues of the magazine have been released, selling more than 20 million copies in Taiwan.

The success of the magazine brought about its by-product. From the published issues of the magazine, the educational experts working with the publishing house extracted the most interesting and informative content to produce the 60-volume Little Newton Science Museum collection.

According to the Jiuzhou Publishing House, the collection has attracted about 500,000 readers in Taiwan so far, while in Hong Kong it is on the best-seller list.

Divided into 10 sets, the collection covers the seven fields of nature and science, mathematics, morality and social life, health and sports, arts and humanities, general activities and Chinese.

Each of the volumes has at least one theme, such as the life of astronauts in space, the eco-system of wetlands and environmental protection.

(China Daily February 19, 2004)